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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29461239">The Reckoning of the Damned</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rago_Dragovian/pseuds/Rago_Dragovian'>Rago_Dragovian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shin Megami Tensei Series, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Romance, Teen Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:08:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,829</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29461239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rago_Dragovian/pseuds/Rago_Dragovian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>To her enemies, she was a fool and an obstacle. To her allies, she was the one chosen to lead them toward victory. To others, she was evil and a killer. But to the Demi-Fiend? She was adroit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hayasaka Chiaki/Hitoshura | The Demifiend</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Reckoning of the Damned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Old Author's Note from Years ago: This story was originally suppose to be 7,000 words ish... but I found myself continually writing (11,000 words more than I envisioned :p) and proofreading it. Got a bit tiresome actually, since I proofread... a lot so I'm not sure if there are any spelling errors or if the characters seem... out of touch at certain points. But, regardless, I hope you enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="xcontrast">
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>The angel flew down, effortlessly, from high-up. In Naoki's opinion, this angel had even more grace and finesse than the advocate of God as she floated down to the middle pillar at the center of the room. Naoki simply stared, lost in the memories of the beauty that was once Chiaki. If only it had all gone differently..., it was pointless to think of this now; she had always been stubborn in her beliefs.</p>
      <p>"You have done well to make it here." spoke Chiaki, or rather, Baal Avatar, as she had embraced the power of and fused herself with a once dead Goddess, "Therefore, I will do you the honor of fighting to my fullest ability."</p>
      <p>Naoki simply stayed silent staring at her. She took a moment's pause. He couldn't help but think, even now, how much he liked and respected her way of giving someone her undivided attention as a show of respect. Even in the direst of situations or something personally important to her. She had always been kind enough to do that. She never ignored anyone, even if she did not like you; she was willing to respect you anyway by giving her full attention to you when you wished to be included in what was going on.</p>
      <p>She spoke a tad more on a personal level now, slightly more hesitant as well.</p>
      <p>"...Our friendship dies here." said Baal Avatar, and then spoke more firmly. "We are adversaries, each upholding our own Reason and contending for creation. As fate would have it, we are both beyond shedding tears."</p>
      <p>"We need not hesitate to fight each other..."</p>
      <p>She had trailed off in her speech here but then continued her firm tone once more. Naoki continued to watch, finally he resolved himself for what he wanted to do. He was the King of Chaos, Lucifer's chosen disciple, and would soon be starting a war that would last for eons. He knew his true desires despite any lingering feelings for those that had died and those that likely would die soon.</p>
      <p>"So, let us now decide who is truly superior." Naoki began feeling the Magatsuchi beginning to swirl from Baal Avatar. "Challenge me with all your might!"</p>
      <p>Baal Avatar began radiating the Magatsuchi in her. Preparing herself for a difficult battle. It was then that Naoki spoke, clearly and loud enough for the word to echo inside the room.</p>
      <p>"...No." Naoki said simply. His decision had been made.</p>
      <p>"What..?!" Baal Avatar bellowed, she was alarmed; she stopped radiating Magatsuchi but did not lose her sense of readiness. She was flabbergasted by his response and she would have looked as such if not for the statue-like face.</p>
      <p>Baal Avatar simply stared at him, trying to judge if this was some underhanded trick he was pulling or not. Naoki proceeded to summon one of his demons in reserve and take out the item bag he had given the reserve party member to hold, he took out the two Stones needed to grant access to Kagutsuchi, and simply threw the two Stones at Baal Avatar's feet on the middle pillar.</p>
      <p>"You can have them." said Naoki, "I have no desire to fight you."</p>
      <p>Baal Avatar simply stared at him with a small amount of incredulity in her features. She was completely confused.</p>
      <p>"Why would you have fought and killed two God's and collected their stones, if not to fight Kagutsuchi himself?" Baal Avatar asked, "Why did you even come to this Tower?"</p>
      <p>"That's not important to your goal, is it?" said Naoki, "You wish to fight Kagutsuchi, right? Then go ahead and face him. I... don't exactly have a Reason anymore, my goals are much more different now and it really doesn't matter whether I concern myself with this world or not."</p>
      <p>"...Good luck to you, Chiaki."</p>
      <p>Naoki exited the door he came from as Baal Avatar stood confused about the events that just transpired. She knew he wasn't lying because he had left her the Stones she needed...</p>
      <p>But why?</p>
      <p>"<em>...it's true that I lost everything. It was the saddest thing imaginable." She had said, looking forlornly at the floor before looking back at Naoki again. "But, I survived the Conception. I was chosen...That's what I'm going to believe, and now, I have to look forward. I still feel a great sadness in my heart... but if I can swallow it down... endless possibilities await... The power of creation...will be mine."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>All three had lost everything during the Conception, and all three eventually pushed forward, though sadly as enemies, Naoki respected her beliefs unlike Isamu's, whom Naoki personally thought only wanted loneliness as a way to escape the pain of loss. Isamu himself had required Naoki's help completely in collecting the necessary amount of Magatsuchi. Chiaki had been the one to re-organize an army from the shambles of an old and abandoned organization, fused herself with a strong demonic soul before that (much like Isamu making himself stronger by fusing with several individually weak ghostly demons to amass power), and finally took out the city of weak Manikins to take the Magatsuchi they intended to use and Yosuga was finally rid of the enemy Futomimi.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Naoki couldn't even feel sorry for the Head Manikin. He hadn't been kind at all when Naoki visited them to see how they were doing nor desired any ounce of Naoki's help until after he had been thoroughly beaten by Chiaki. The Manikin's themselves didn't care what happened in Ikebukuro and hadn't bothered trying to learn the current events of the world. They had allowed the achievement and glamour of creating their own city and then the possibility of their own world to increase their egos to a point where they didn't care about anything else. It had been their undoing, had they not been so caught off-guard due to their staunch belief in the idea that Futomimi could do everything and had all the answers then they would not have been wiped out as thoroughly by Chiaki. They could have tried to make alliances with some of the more peaceful demons that were staying with them, possibly with Ginza since the reason of Shijima or Musubi either could have worked out for them, or have built structures similar to the Ginza tunnel to prepare for an emergency evacuation or hide out.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sakahagi had been their only real concern yet the Manikins only regarded him as of any real importance, after his departure from the city, due to Futomimi mentioning him. So, when Asakusa finally did fall, Naoki outright agreed with Chiaki and killed Futomimi himself. It had been too little too late as far as Naoki was concerned, Chiaki was a friend of his and Futomimi hadn't desired his help until the end after Futomimi utterly failed at everything he strived for and attempted to guilt-trip Naoki into helping out of desperation because he was incapable of doing it himself. It hadn't been about morals, in life, it was always about being firm, putting the effort into something you believed in, and finally, the important quality which Futomimi and his people lacked, knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Chiaki had known her weaknesses, which is why she had made the ritual to fuse with Gozu-Tennoh, she realized the helplessness of her situation and acted accordingly, albeit out of desperation. She had, however, picked the best demon to fuse with so her plan could take action; Gozu-Tennoh had been perfect in more ways than one. Gozu-Tennoh had been the best choice possible due to his desperation in preserving himself and because his ideals coincided with Chiaki's. Chiaki had been intuitive and showed great foresight when she made the ritual with Gozu-Tennoh.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>It was one of the things he loved about her, being smart enough to do what she believed was necessary in a tight situation and with the ambition to do so.</em>
      </p>
      <p>And it was ending in failure.</p>
      <p>Chiaki was losing badly; the battle had been going just fine until Kagutsuchi's injuries became noticeable due to his shaking. Kagutsuchi fought more ferociously once the shaking began. Her two allies had taken significant damage and she didn't think they could keep healing her for long. Kagutsuchi had noticed and exploited the secret of her three-man technique. The fact was both the Hallel Ose and Flauros were souls without a Will of their own. Chiaki had developed a technique where she could encase a demon's soul into Gozu-Tennoh's broken statue body. The souls were now completely controlled by her Will, and she couldn't command both of them at the same time. When they are taken possession over by this technique the Wills within their souls essentially become 'blank', they could no longer move or control themselves of their own volition, they required Chiaki's Will to control their battle actions. The technique gave them physical forms when she summoned them and made them significantly stronger than they originally were and numbed the pain felt in battle. Chiaki had gone so far as to personally imbue them with abilities of enemies she had beaten in battle, such as giving them both a powerful healing technique to use on her if she were ever in danger.</p>
      <p>The Ose had been Hikawa's own personal servant, sent to assassinate her so that Hikawa could remain in control of Ikebukuro as a possible base of operations. Flauros was a willing participant from the Amala Labyrinth, wishing to participate in creating a new world for the strong, he had come due to his personal differences in beliefs with the resident demons under Lucifer and escaped into the Vortex world to seek out a Reason that coincided with his beliefs. She had encased both their souls in parts of Gozu-Tennoh's broken statue body and then absorbed them once she had become one with Baal Avatar. They had both been exceptionally skilled and she had been personally satisfied with both choices. Ose had been quite formidable to fight, and had proven his strength and cunning by stealthily taking out some of her watch guards around the tower before finally coming for her. She had made quick work of him when he had barged in on her during her planning stages of Asakusa's takedown. She was personally pleased by his admittance that this was the second time he had failed his Lord Hikawa, the only other time being when he had been trounced by the infamous Demi-Fiend. Flauros's presence had caused quite a stir when he arrived due to the strength he held, Chiaki had saw to meeting with him personally when she felt his power due to the incident with Ose. He had begged to be part of her esteemed organization, he had been gushing with approval over it. After having a tournament of single combat between them to see if he could be of any use and to test what skills he had and his prowess, asked him if he wished to undergo her soul-binding technique and then did so at his willing acceptance.</p>
      <p>She hadn't needed them to take down the flunkies of the other two Reasons that were dumb enough to try and take her down. She knew they would prove vital in facing the leaders of the other two Reasons and their God's... and of course, Naoki, but all her plans were for naught. She had made sure to be the first one to scale the tower, her army swiftly following behind her, marching in pride over the glory and strength she had bestowed the way of Yosuga. She was proud of her achievements, she hadn't been the first to summon her deity but she had been the first to claim the tower. Neither of the other two God's had dared to face the Paragon of virtue and might. The god who was closest to the top out of the three of them. She had been sure they would eventually try though, but, unsurprisingly, the sovereign wildcard of the world had come and killed them both. What had been surprising to Chiaki was that Hikawa, unquestionably the most cunning of them all, had been killed first. Naoki had proved himself to be the deadliest threat yet again with just Hikawa's death. He had made his own small army, had learned his own techniques and strategies, and most importantly of all, no matter how disadvantaged he was, he <em>always</em> won.</p>
      <p>All three leader's had arrogantly thought the Demi-fiend's might couldn't compare to their own once they had summoned their respective God's, after all, even the Demi-fiend had to have his limits..., but no. Naoki proved that whatever his limits were, assuming he even had limits; it was nothing that anything in this world could stop. It made her question why he hadn't fought her, why he would kill two of them but chose not to face her. If he thought she was weak then he would have just fought and killed her easily... she now thought it was a mistake to not have fought him. Confusion had stopped her from outright demanding a fight. Now, she wondered... would he fare this badly if he were here? She clearly had no hope of beating Kagutsuchi. It was preparing for another Vast Light attack and Chiaki's was running out of ideas on how to defeat him. Turning Kagutsuchi into a fly wouldn't work for the obvious reason that he was the Great Will, and couldn't be afflicted in such a way, Dragon Eye could only go so far before Kagutsuchi's attacks started hurting them even more.</p>
      <p>Baal Avatar went and hit Kagutsuchi with all her might and then bellowed in triumph as Kagutsuchi started moving more uncontrollably. Quickly, Ose followed up with an attack of his own, and Baal Avatar's body sagged from the stress and pain of the fight. It appeared she had nothing to worry about after all. She held the circular center of her belly, the main source from where her power generated, damaged heavily by Kagutsuchi's relentless assault. Ose and Flauros stood in the ready position like robots, they were even more damaged than she was however, and only stood still due to the fact that they lacked a will to move their bodies to express the pain they felt. Kagutsuchi was getting brighter and more uncontrollable, ready to explode, it was over..., Chiaki felt happy, after all that hard work since surviving the Conception, and she had finally succeeded!</p>
      <p>Kagutsuchi proceeded to reshape itself into an ugly looking face.</p>
      <p>"WHAT!?" shouted Baal Avatar attempting to get into a ready position, but it was already too late.</p>
      <p>Kagutsuchi ever opportunistic when facing down an adversary used the attack Infinite Light. Ose and Flauros were incinerated within seconds as the bright flash enveloped and radiated around the area. Baal Avatar was struck harshly and cried openly at the pain that the attack brought. The light stopped as Kagutsuchi closed the face shield it had made from pillars all around it.</p>
      <p>Chiaki cried out in pain, her circular power cores had been damaged too thoroughly, Baal Avatar's body began to spasm wildly. She had mistaken Kagutsuchi's shaking for spasms like hers if she was ever severely injured. She could not control her own body anymore; power was constantly flowing, increasing, and decreasing randomly at a dangerous rate, at this rate her body was going to explode into thousands of pieces.</p>
      <p>"<em>I don't know what to say." was the unexpected response from Naoki; he was at a loss on what to think.</em></p>
      <p>"<em>...I see." Chiaki replied, appearing to accept something from that reply. She looked down to her left avoiding his eyes. She spoke softly, her tone even more sad than before. "But I believe in you, Naoki."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Why was she acting like this? Was she really that sad over his choice of words? Did she really value his approval that much? He wasn't firm on what side to pick between Ginza and Ikebukuro, Chiaki's side strongly coincided with Ikebukuro's ideology, and he wasn't certain how committed he was willing to be if he made a decision right now.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>She then looked at him in the eyes again. Firmly, like her usual self. Always regarding everyone as important... yet just a few seconds ago..., there had been something different about how she reacted. She had taken it so personally..., it was true that they were friends, but usually she would accept his positions on things without complaint, usually... Yet this was something, he only now foolishly realized, that she personally believed in. Isamu was also here in the prison, yet she specifically sought to find him for his approval...</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>I believe that one day you'll come to accept it."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>He only now realized that it was something she desired almost as much as her dream world, his approval of her world. Naoki only now fully understood just what kind of a personal request he may have shot down by saying he was unsure. She wanted to believe he would agree with her. She was deeply hurt, he realized that now...</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>I'm going to start collecting Magatsuchi." She said, giving Naoki a small smirk, the feeling of purpose and the dream of her own paradise alluring her, instilling her with confidence and determination. "Honestly, I don't know where to begin..."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>A quality he liked about her. No matter how grand the purpose or how rich the rewards, she was always honest with herself and with others. Always. She would always state how she honestly felt about something and assert the reality of what was going on. She had, however, changed topics rather suddenly, she wanted to believe he would eventually accept and so didn't want to speak of the issue any further.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>But, since Yosuga is the Reason of the strong, I'll see what I can do on my own first..." continued Chiaki."I'm glad we had the chance to talk today."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>It was the truth. Within such a world, who knew when one would see another again; if at all? Naoki appreciated her sentiment. He was glad to see his friends whenever they happened to meet one another..., though he felt even more attached to the idea of seeing Chiaki..., he couldn't quite explain why. Certainly, they were all friends, and he certainly cared for both his sensei and his friends.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>We both survived the Conception..." She said, preparing to leave so she could go start her self-imposed commitment. "I'm sure we'll cross paths again. See you later, Naoki."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>He watched her go... he respected the fact she was attempting this on her own first but he couldn't help feel concerned, he was always concerned when he saw his friends go, particularly with all the dangers this new world posed, but..., the desire to help Chiaki was somewhat more profound now, even more so than his desire to help Isamu with whatever crisis Takao-sensei was in...</em>
      </p>
      <p>It was all for naught. She had reached the very end and in that end, she had reached her own end. The strife gone through to create her world of Yosuga had all been for nothing. In the end, the very power she had amassed would overflow and kill her. This...</p>
      <p>She felt something small, but firm, hold onto the middle power core, located on her belly, as others that she could not see held her other circular areas. Her spasms prevented her head from moving to the side so she could not see what was happening around her. All she could see was the back of a man with a sword wearing a peculiar outfit appear in front of her. The man had started fighting Kagutsuchi.</p>
      <p>"N-no..! I..." she started struggling but soon stopped herself, she realized it was futile, she couldn't beat Kagutsuchi and she was going to die soon due to the Magatsuchi within her body moving wildly. There was no point in even trying anyway as the demons around her were holding her firmly. Slowly, she felt the spasms begin to slow in speed as Magatsuchi began leaving her body; she soon began to lose consciousness from the profound sense of fatigue that filled her body. Chiaki was vaguely aware that her Baal Avatar form was becoming... shorter..., were they planning to suck her dry and use her Magatsuchi? It was the most logical reason she could come-up with as she slowly began to let sleep overtake her. Better to die without feeling pain...</p>
      <p>A sudden large exit of Magatsuchi from her body made her sway from where she stood. The feeling of losing power only continued, however, and once it finally stopped her body started falling to the floor. She hadn't felt so weak since having the tar beaten out of her by Sakahagi in Yoyogi Park. She felt a strong pair of arms catch her from behind and lay her down. Her body felt rather cool now as she couldn't help but fall asleep, even in the seriousness of her current predicament.</p>
      <p>What happened?</p>
      <p>"Why have you come here, dark one?" spoke Kagutsuchi, "Do you intend to kill the last champion of Reason as you have killed the two before, so that you can masturbate over your triumph?"</p>
      <p>Naoki snorted. He summoned Beelzebub and Metatron with him as Kagutsuchi's power radiated dangerously.</p>
      <p>"I'm not here to listen to your self-righteous whining," said Naoki, "Quite frankly, I don't give a damn about what you say, you have knowingly orchestrated genocide upon so many worlds with your so-called 'way of creation' that anything you say means absolutely nothing in the long run because your purpose and mine will never change."</p>
      <p>"Do not insult me demon!" shouted Kagutsuchi, his voice booming loudly around the area, Naoki was annoyed, it was fortunate that Chiaki was such a deep slumber so that she couldn't awaken easily even from this big ball's blithering. "You have destroyed the seeds of creation and now you have defiled the last possible chance this world had! Your sins shall not go unpunished!"</p>
      <p>"Defiled? You were going to kill her!" Naoki was shouting now, though he knew it was no good talking sense to this arrogant fool, "And what's with all this nonsense of me destroying the 'seeds of creation'? This so-called creation would last for such a short time and be destroyed anyway. Lives are always perishing because of your so-called grand design of things."</p>
      <p>"Foolish demon! You have forgotten your way ever since you completely rid yourself of your own humanity!" said Kagutsuchi, "A truly noble being would care about the condition of the world from which they were born."</p>
      <p>"Yes, I'm supposed to simply be okay with your way of doing things because you say so." Sneered Naoki, "And as for my humanity? I always felt something was wrong with this whole idea of creation even before becoming a full-fledged demon, I always questioned how long my efforts would last, it had been you whom had destroyed the old world after all, I witnessed it myself, and it wasn't until Lucifer spoke with me did I realize that, just like the previous world, you were going to eventually destroy the newly created world."</p>
      <p>"You would have me strive for the existence of a new world, just so you could re-create the cycle, and for what? An endless cycle of timeless genocide? A cycle, by which, denizens born near the end of the world's existence die anyway? I truly see no value in what you're doing, because in the end, everything I would have worked hard for would die because you desire it that way."</p>
      <p>"I will destroy you, accursed one!" replied Kagutsuchi, "There is no need for me to explain to one who lacks the mental prowess of understanding my design! Begone! My light, searing with anger, shall wipe you from existence!"</p>
      <p>Naoki ran toward Kagutsuchi and assaulted the ugly face with a piercing right hook as a reply.</p>
      <p>"<em>You're so weak, yet you struggle so hard to live." Said Chiaki, it appeared to Naoki that she was reminiscing over her own failures before she had fused with Gozu-Tennoh, "Dreaming a dream of power..."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>She then gave Futomimi a measured gaze. While she had been in a similar situation, she had sought to find the best way to overcome her obstacles productively, instead of ignoring them entirely.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>That's your sin."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>While he had the Magatsuchi, Futomimi, unlike Sakahagi, hadn't tried to be careful with it. He hadn't taken any measures to ensure it would be protected. The dream itself was also rather xenophobic. Futomimi only desired a world where Manikins existed. The difference between living secluded in a city like Asakusa and living in a world with only Manikins existing would be the death of every other living creature in existence. Naoki held no desire for such a world or such an ideology and Chiaki regarded Futomimi as too engrossed in such a way of thinking. It was too dangerous to allow. Futomimi's plan required genocide on such a high-scale.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Even if Futomimi had included other demons to exist in his plans, he would need someone in charge, thus ruining the idea of everyone living equally in peace. History proved you needed an enforcement of power to make anything work out well, and Manikins simply didn't have such a talent. It wasn't always about fairness; it was also about looking at the situation realistically. The final reason why Naoki couldn't agree with Futomimi was because Futomimi's plan was just too similar to the old world's democratic nations, which had helped facilitate laziness to such a large degree and had been destroyed by Kagutsuchi and its own denizens anyway. It hadn't even been truly equal for the simple reason that the government existed to control people's actions. The people in government wielded the power. Regardless of anything, most times people followed the law. Equal representation never really worked out as well as most believed either, there was always favor for one group which ruled as the majority.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>It was then that Futomimi himself looked to his right to see who had come in and dived desperately onto his hands and knees on the ground.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>...Help us, Demi-fiend!" shouted Futomimi, in clear desperation, it seemed he completely forgot the fact that he had explicitly desired Naoki away from their sacred area and didn't want his help or to really have anything to do with him on a personal level. He had been allowed to roam the city of Asakusa and purchase or sell items but little else under Futomimi's leadership of the Manikins. "If you don't stop this woman, we will be massacred!"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Chiaki was looking his way as well, she looked annoyed at having been interrupted when she was so close to her goal. Chiaki turned her full attention Naoki's way. She stood silent for a moment to get a clearer view of who had interrupted her and to clear her head so that she could better address the intruder. She had been heavily focused on slaughter after all but even in quite possibly the most important event of her life, Chiaki would still give someone her full attention.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>Oh, Naoki..." spoke Chiaki, a hint of delight escaping from her voice, she was happy he was here. "Good timing, I keep killing and killing, but there are so many of them."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>She made a shrugging gesture as she spoke. It did not bother her to be speaking of genocide when talking to a personal friend..., or was it just because she was speaking specifically with Naoki? Naoki had taken into account what her subordinates had said when he happened to meet with them before coming here. Naoki sighed. What was he to do now? He refused to be indecisive anymore like he had been in the beginning of his journey. He wanted to make decisions on what he believed was right and not just be a mindless slave for everyone's whims. The harsh life of the vortex world had required he work as hard as possible to survive and it made him a much better person for it, he firmly believed that.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>You would never partake in such a brutal act, would you?" cried Futomimi, desperation laced from the beginning to the end of the statement. Only now, when his life was threatened, did he see the infamous Demi-fiend as someone who could have helped him or of any significant value. Yet he had helped the Manikins before by freeing them from their prison, was he simply going to be discarded as of little importance yet again until another life-threatening emergency occurred? Was he simply supposed to be treated differently yet still help these people whenever it suited them? Futomimi didn't know him, yet so desperately wanted Naoki to be something that could help him achieve his dream now.</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Futomimi rose up to his knees and held his chest with his right hand as if in some sort of pledge.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>Your heart is unlike any demons... Is it not?"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Naoki's brows furrowed slightly, was Futomimi trying to coax him with some sort of political speech about how he was different and should help him just because of that? Was he simply supposed to follow Futomimi's whims because he was different from others?! Naoki may have cared for Futomimi and his people had he not been shut out and treated differently in the city by all but the collector Manikin. The Manikins themselves were also to blame for not trying to prepare themselves for an attack and not paying attention to what was happening outside their city. Why couldn't they have prepared themselves? News traveled fast about Sakahagi's death and many of them who moved here were well-adapted in surviving for so long within the Ginza tunnel.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>It was clear that the Manikins of Asakusa were helpless drones unless Futomimi told them to do something. There so-called newfound freedom and desire for a free world only seemed to revolve around Futomimi deciding everything for them. Futomimi hadn't concerned himself with anything but ominous predictions and collecting Magatsuchi yet hadn't acted upon such foresight to better protect himself and his people. This city, these people... were a lost cause. Not just because of the information he had learned regarding the creation of Manikins and what would happen to them if a reason was conceived but also due to the fact that these peoples own actions prevented them from moving forward. A vague sense of irony had wormed its way into Naoki's feelings as he finally realized that the only Manikin who had ever been close to achieving any sort of future in a world of Reason... was Sakahagi.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Sakahagi, unlike Futomimi, had successfully summoned a God to help his plans. He was much like Chiaki, he had been doing things on his own, took control of the Fairies using them as an army for his own protection, and doing what he felt was necessary to keep himself alive. Who knew what Sakahagi could have achieved had Naoki not accepted his Sensei's request and killed Sakahagi? He was like Naoki too, in that, he killed other demons to survive and worked on strategies on his own. Unlike Futomimi, Sakahagi had been smart enough to keep his large pool of Magatsuchi well-guarded. If not for Naoki's interference, Sakahagi could have remained a contender fighting for his own reason.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>I'm sure you'll agree..." began Chiaki, focusing all her attention on Naoki, "...that only the strong should be allowed to exist in this world."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>She raised her hand showcasing her mighty arm. Perhaps as some sort of political game of belief like Futomimi but she always regarded him with respect and, unlike Futomimi, she was his friend. Chiaki had always cared about his approval of her in some way, his opinion, involvement, and beliefs mattered to her. He had thought it was now due to the fact he was a possible threat to her plans and while she needed to take that factor into account... it still didn't explain the comment that her subordinates, Dominion and Power, whom he had spoken with, made. Even when she had first started out with her Reason, she had sought his approval of it, and had been genuinely happy that she got to speak with him. Others had sought his approval but Chiaki had still stated she believed in him when he wasn't sure what to think, it was more than Naoki could say for Hikawa and Isamu's selfish comments.</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Chiaki lowered her arm and spoke in that personal tone he loved so much.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>The weak provoke and misled others because they can do nothing themselves."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>This was true. In the old world, it was special interest groups in democratic nations and minorities in tyrannical countries who wanted some savior sent by god to help them escape their tyranny. They weren't willing to do it themselves do to fear of harm. Yet, they were being mistreated and they regarded the mistreatment as harmful. Weak people typically desired a strong leader but even when that happened, the leader couldn't do everything his or herself, the people always expected to be hurt, yet they still desired some sort of hero as a leader to pave the way. What difference did it really make? He often wondered how these people thoroughly deluded themselves. The Manikins were quite possibly even worse cases than any in the previous world; they could and would not do a thing if Futomimi didn't directly order the majority of them to.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>As long as we have to deal with this pettiness, it will be impossible to create a beautiful world."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Naoki recalled, in the previous world, how minority groups attempted to force their beliefs on the most extreme levels under the guise it would be discrimination to not allow them to. Fact was, regardless of anything, everyone wanted special attention and privileges. Everyone had sought law, the strongest source of power in a free society, as a way to further their own ends from businesses to people. It wasn't about fairness; it was about what people wanted. In non-'westernized' nations, it was usually military struggles that were the strongest source of power to get things done. Power... was necessary, and Futomimi's vision would only allow himself to have that, whether he realized it or not, the Manikins would not function without his approval. And Naoki knew nothing would change Futomimi's opinion of obtaining his fanatic world.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>They both gazed upon him, the blood covering the space in between, Chiaki on the right and Futomimi on the left...</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>Again, the people around him wanted to know his stance, his belief, but unlike everyone else, with Chiaki, it wasn't just to see if his agreement could benefit her own purpose. She always honestly wanted to his approval. Isamu had been similar but he stopped caring for everyone and later wanted nothing to do with him, much like Futomimi, even when he genuinely was concerned for their well-being. But such a time to be concerned for others had passed; he was more than ready to make his decision.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>I see your point." He spoke those words calmly. He truly did believe Chiaki was the right one here. Futomimi was deluded, this had been proven more than once, and more importantly to Naoki. Chiaki showed she honestly cared for his thoughts and not just solely on when it would benefit her. It was true that she would say someone wasn't needed from time to time, but whenever he disagreed, she was always more upset than usual. Whether it was anger or sadness, she always reacted more emotionally when it came to something personal he decided on. He always wondered why she reacted in such a fashion during those times when most times she would just accept his views on most things they regarded as unimportant.</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Futomimi looked down to the floor, his body shaking in fury and sadness. Everything had gone so perfectly only to crash down in one of the worst ways imaginable.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>You too...?" spoke Futomimi, still solely focused on his own idealistic world, "You would rob us of our dream...?"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Futomimi rose up. His visage was that of the utmost loathing as he gazed down upon Naoki. Futomimi would never have believed the truth of Manikins being unable to create their own world even if Naoki had told him. The xenophobic tendencies would have simply lead Futomimi to distrust him even more so, even when there had been no reason to distrust him. Even if Futomimi's world had come to fruition, it would never have been anything like he wanted due to the dependency of the Manikins.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>No matter how much you demons threaten me, I will not yield!"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Futomimi was being self-righteous now, his idea of non-Manikins being all bad seemed to have solidified. He was now just blaming the closest target, Naoki, for it all. Futomimi never did try to think of ways to avoid or defend against the predicament he was in now and he never tried learning from his torture nor was he trying from his current predicament.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>I will fight to the end to win our freedom!"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Futomimi lunged at him. Naoki replied back to him with a snarky comment.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>If you really wanted that then you shouldn't have ignored your problems and focused on making sure your people's safety wouldn't be jeopardized again!"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Futomimi's reply was an enraged focused palm strike on Naoki's face. Naoki barely even felt it.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"Mmmhmm" Chiaki groaned as she woke-up and got to a sitting position. She noted three things immediately as she did so.</p>
      <p>The first was she was no longer anywhere near Kagutsuchi or its Tower, the second was that it was noticeably a much more darker world... as if all light in the sky had died out..., and the third and most significant thing she noticed was the fact she had returned to being human... but all that wouldn't have bothered her as much were it not for the fact she was completely naked.</p>
      <p>"Oh, good." Spoke a figure from afar, footsteps could be heard as the figure drew nearer, Chiaki bent her knees to press against her chest as she held her knees with her arms to cover up as much as possible. "Glad to see you're awake, I was worried I had come too late back at the Tower."</p>
      <p>It was Naoki; Chiaki stared at him blushing in embarrassment and anger. Did he not see that she was naked?</p>
      <p>"Sorry we left you on the ground like that, it's just that there really aren't any sheets or anything we could use to make the ground more comfortable..." said Naoki, ignoring her look, and trying his best to focus on her eyes only... "I had the members of my party tasked with healing you leave the area because I didn't know how you would react to being in such a vulnerable state with people you were unfamiliar with."</p>
      <p>He referred to demons as ordinary people..., why was she not surprised? Then again, he was a full demon now. She knew that when he had entered the room in which she awaited the other God's or him in her Baal Avatar state.</p>
      <p>"What the hell did you do?" she said bluntly, she knew he was the reason for this, he was the reason for over half of everything that had transpired in the vortex world and Hikawa was dead, so that ruled the only other suspect that could cause such a huge change of events. "And don't joke around, I'm serious here, why the hell am I naked?! Just what the hell were you doing to me while I wasn't awake?!"</p>
      <p>Naoki blushed at the last comment as Chiaki's face visibly became red, either from anger or embarrassment... or possibly a mix of the two. She had to know, however, she was no longer in a position to threaten anyone for answers but she desperately needed answers.</p>
      <p>"I... didn't do anything to you... sexually that is..., as for why you have no clothes..." began Naoki, racking his brain on how to explain to her all of what happened..., "Well, when Kagutsuchi's Infinite Light technique incinerated the souls you were using as party members, when it hit you..., it damaged your Baal Avatar body severely and would have killed you due to the Magatsuchi within your body becoming chaotic."</p>
      <p>He waited a moment for her to digest this; he wanted to make sure she remembered everything that happened before.</p>
      <p>"I knew that already." Said Chiaki, flatly, she wanted answers to the questions she had given and immediately, "Just tell me what I asked."</p>
      <p>She was more than a little pissed off and for good reason. Naoki nodded in apology and continued.</p>
      <p>"The reason you have no clothes is... well, normally Magatsuchi increases the durability of weapons and even normal clothing to have it withstand an incredible amount of damage, it can even repair certain broken armor and weapons so that it can surely last for eons," said Naoki, Chiaki was getting more annoyed with this explanation. She figured as much since her clothes and especially Naoki's own pants never got damaged but why were her clothes not around near her then? "But, when Kagutsuchi's infinite light technique damaged you..., as said before it damaged you on a critical level, and incinerated your insides, we healed the damage to your normal human body but only as far as your human DNA, whatever clothes you had were completely incinerated during that attack."</p>
      <p>Chiaki held her face in her hands when he finished. She then looked at him again, giving him a measured gaze.</p>
      <p>"Why didn't someone think to bring me any new clothes?"</p>
      <p>It was a rather simple question. Someone had to have thought of that and Naoki was a smart guy.</p>
      <p>"Because there aren't any new clothes, or spare anything. Shops don't sell them in the Vortex world because there was never any need for the people of this world to buy them." Said Naoki, Chiaki looked at him horrified at the realization of what he just said, it did explain why he never had anything but pants and shoes on. "It's simply not possible and no one who does have clothes wants to give them up and go naked for the rest of their eternal lives."</p>
      <p>"We checked the most undamaged remaining human stores that were relatively close but we couldn't find a store that had a pair of clothes you could wear. I use to try myself back when I first started out being a half-demon but could never find anything."</p>
      <p>She put her face back on her palms. Of course! She looked back at him again.</p>
      <p>"Are you telling me that I'll have no clothes to wear for the rest of my life?"</p>
      <p>It was a serious question but he couldn't help but shrug as a reply.</p>
      <p>"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." He said sincerely, he hadn't wanted her to be any more uncomfortable than she already would be. "We tried our best when we saved you but there just wasn't anything we could do about the incinerated clothes, the healers were all too focused on saving your life."</p>
      <p>This felt so repetitive... the feeling of embarrassment before having the courage to gaze back at him... she was sick of this overwhelming sense of helplessness. She was going to act how she wanted, regardless of the helplessness she felt. Demonic power or not, she never wanted to feel this sense of weakness ever again and she was going to prove to herself that she could move past this, just like all the other events in her life. This was trivial compared to most of the crap she had to deal with before.</p>
      <p>Chiaki stood up, not even bothering to cover herself with her hands. Naoki gaped openly. He couldn't help his eyes as they roamed her body. She walked straight towards him, stood in front of him, and folded her arms in front of her chest.</p>
      <p>"I..., uh... Ch-Chiaki... you..."</p>
      <p>Naoki stopped babbling once he noticed Chiaki's serious glare, he couldn't help the shock though, and this type of scenario was something he would only ever think of in a wet dream.</p>
      <p>"Why am I human again?" She asked, trying to ignore his staring, "And what did you do to make the world turn so... dark?"</p>
      <p>Naoki tried to get himself out of his hormonal trance as he attempted to concentrate on her face and clear his mind so he could better answer her. He didn't need all these perverted signals interrupting his thought process. Regardless of if one was a demon or a human, a hot naked woman was still a hot naked woman. The race didn't matter.</p>
      <p>"The Baal Avatar body, as you know, wasn't stabilized so we had to deplete your body of all the Magatsuchi you used to summon that state," said Naoki, "I had them heal your body while, at the same time, depleting a massive amount of Magatsuchi, and so due to the state you were in it seems as if they over exerted on simultaneous healing and depletion of energy."</p>
      <p>"There was a lot of damage they had to cover in a short time, they managed to heal your real body perfectly but my healers had inadvertently extracted the consciousness and power of both Baal Avatar and Gozu-Tennoh from your body."</p>
      <p>Chiaki looked at him with a hint of surprise before her shoulders sagged.</p>
      <p>"They're dead then..." said Chiaki, in a soft tone; she had quite liked being a part of them. The sense of their emotions whenever she made a major decision... the approval..., the powers of a strong warrior and a God... "Without a host they have no way of tying themselves to this world..."</p>
      <p>Naoki nodded his affirmative to that statement. They both stood their deep in thought, each ignoring... or rather attempting to ignore how naked Chiaki was.</p>
      <p>"Alright, now for the other question," said Chiaki, "What happened to the world now?"</p>
      <p>"Well...," Naoki didn't want this to be such a bombshell but he couldn't quite explain it without shocking her. "Do you know what position I chose regarding the Reasons?"</p>
      <p>"Not... really..." She was embarrassed by her own admittance. She should have known but she felt it hadn't mattered that much in the long run since the end consequence would have been one of them dying. "When you arrived at the Tower, all I sensed was that you hadn't picked my Reason to side with, which was enough for me, I felt that... in the end... we had moved past feeling sorrow over requiring to kill one another and one of us would be dead by the end of the fight, assuming I had to fight you or Isamu, so... to me..., it felt like it wasn't necessary to know..."</p>
      <p>Naoki's visage gave the appearance of understanding even though she looked down in embarrassment and shame once more this time due to her own admission rather than her lack of any clothing.</p>
      <p>"Don't feel guilty over it. It's understandable for you to feel that way..." said Naoki, "As for the path I chose..., I didn't actually chose a Reason..."</p>
      <p>She looked up after she digested what he said. He wanted her prepared for his next words.</p>
      <p>"I chose to help the Fallen One in his conquest to rid the universes of Kagutsuchi's existence."</p>
      <p>There was a sharp intake of breath as Chiaki looked at Naoki hatefully. What the HELL did he just say?!</p>
      <p>"Why the hell..? The FALLEN ONE!?" shouted Chiaki, fury had overtaken her; she placed her arms to the sides and balled her fists in rage. "You.., you got RID of the possibility of creating a new world, didn't you?! That's why everything is so dark! You killed the only chance this world had in having a future!"</p>
      <p>Naoki simply nodded but tried putting his hands up in a placating gesture. Chiaki was furious, a different Reason was one thing, and was understandable on a certain level. But this?! This was fucking bullshit! He had stripped away her Reason, the army she had worked so hard to build, and her power for this!? Why had he strived so hard just to kill the possibility of a new world!</p>
      <p>"Just what the hell could have led you to make this decision?!" Chiaki continued, the pain of loss and failure melting into fury, "You got rid of my chance to create a world that could last longer than the previous one, my perfect fucking paradise for the ones who can offer the world the very best just to start some cycle of destruction?!"</p>
      <p>"That's just it!" Naoki yelled, though in haste and not anger, he did not want to be angry at Chiaki right now, he knew she was confused and it was his fault she was in such turmoil. "All the worlds Kagutsuchi allows into creation have a time limit! None of them last!"</p>
      <p>"...WH-what...?" said Chiaki, in surprise and confusion, she paused and took a deep breath, giving Naoki a nice view of her bosoms rising and falling, before clearing her thoughts and speaking again, "You mean... no matter what..., no matter what anyone did, all the new world had a time limit?"</p>
      <p>Naoki nodded in confirmation. Chiaki put her hand on her forehead, she felt so stupid now. All that time... all that suffering..., not just her... everyone who had died... she felt duped. She had assumed, like everyone else who had conceived their own Reasons, that their Kingdom's would last for years, much longer than the previous world because it would have what the previous world lacked and discarded what they believed had been the previous world's ruin.</p>
      <p>"How..., how long?" she asked, quietly, she wanted to know if the time could be worth it. If perhaps it could be considered a 'reasonable time frame' worth the effort.</p>
      <p>Perhaps...</p>
      <p>"A thousand years. It's the time limit for any possible Reason conceived."</p>
      <p>Chiaki frowned at Naoki's reply. She wasn't sure what to make of that. On one hand, a thousand years seemed like a long time, on the other hand, however, was the fact that the initial purpose she had conceived her Reason had been so it would outlast the previous world, if not forever, then for as long as possible. But... that wasn't the case. She believed Naoki, Naoki was always helpful, informative, and never lied to his friends. He had changed in some ways since the Conception but she regarded it as for the better. She too had changed as well thanks to the experiences she had gained... though she felt as if she lost it all. By the end of the journey, she was a defenseless and naked girl.</p>
      <p>She closed her eyes in frustration and then re-opened them. She stared at him again, hatefully; she wasn't sure what she wanted to do anymore..., what was left for her anymore?</p>
      <p>"Tell me, Naoki." She began, icily, "How the hell is no creation better than at least living in a world where you can at least have things and experience them, however briefly? What good is this broken world compared to a world of Reason?"</p>
      <p>Naoki shook his head. He needed to explain it to her more clearly.</p>
      <p>"It's not about that," said Naoki, "The creation of a new world under Kagutsuchi is always predestined under a time limit. In the long run it's just an endless cycle of suffering. It is a continuous doom for those who exist during the end of the world's life span. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a continuous genocide with only a false sense of protection and achievement."</p>
      <p>"Oh? And what about those who exist at the beginning?!" shouted Chiaki, it appeared as if Naoki hadn't thought of any possible positives to such a cycle "What about those who prosper and at least HAVE SOMETHING TO LIVE AMONGST?!"</p>
      <p>"Just what the hell am I suppose to do now?! I've got nothing! I've got nowhere! And even if I joined you in this conquest of yours I'd be of no use because of my current state and my life span compared to that of an immortal demon is just laughable! I won't even live that long by comparison and I've got nothing to live for!"</p>
      <p>Chiaki was just screaming in frustration now, Naoki just listened silently. They were all reasonable arguments given the circumstances. She felt helpless, uncertain, and worst of all; she felt her life no longer had a purpose. There really was nothing for her anymore. She had gone from such a height of power to having absolutely nothing. She was pacing back and forth in front of him, trying to simmer the steam she had built up within herself.</p>
      <p>"Why the hell did you even bother to save me?!" she shouted, rounding on him once more, "I've got nothing left! What the FUCK was the point?! I'd probably have been better off killed by you when we were suppose to have fought each other at the Tower!"</p>
      <p>Naoki scowled at those comments. She stopped her rant and just glared at him in silence. She knew he could easily do anything he wanted to her with how vulnerable she was now. He was possibly the strongest person on the planet right now but Chiaki was past the point of caring. Why should she care what happened to her now? Why did it even matter anymore? There was literally nothing and no reason to go on.</p>
      <p>"I did it because I didn't want you to die!" Naoki shouted back in honesty, "I know I'm a selfish prick for doing so but I didn't want... I wanted you to survive. I... didn't want you dead..., even if it was technically required because you were an obstacle in my path to kill Kagutsuchi, I wanted you to be alive more so. I didn't think things through so well, but I rationalized that once I had made sure you were alive, I could go from there."</p>
      <p>"I wanted to give you a chance at defeating Kagutsuchi, if you succeeded, then I would have returned to this world later once the process of creation began again, if you lost, then I wanted to save you from dying and go with my original plan of killing Kagutsuchi as Lucifer wished. I knew you would desire to face Kagutsuchi no matter what and I didn't want you to have died regardless of the circumstances so I thought it was best to let you have a chance at Kagutsuchi and go from there."</p>
      <p>Chiaki snorted and almost laughed at that quasi-corny reply.</p>
      <p>"Well, Naoki, mission accomplished!" Chiaki stated sarcastically, "Now what? Oh, right, you didn't THINK that far!"</p>
      <p>Naoki sighed; this was becoming rather annoying to deal with. He couldn't help but scowl at her. He was trying to be kind here for her sake but she was just too focused on what she had lost. Chiaki sighed as well, trying to calm herself down, at this point she was just going to get herself abandoned or killed. She was frustrated. She had come so close to making her own world, so very close... and now the opportunity was gone forever...</p>
      <p>"Look, it's just... there's nothing for me to move on with anymore." said Chiaki calmly, they had both realized the pointlessness in bringing a human along in a demonic conquest of other worlds. Leaving her in one of those planets would go against the belief that creation wasn't needed and no one in the demonic army wanted that. If she stayed with them, she wouldn't have anything to really do. Chiaki shook her head. "It would have better if you hadn't involved me into this... I have no place here."</p>
      <p>"...You don't seem to have any qualms with the idea of joining me." said Naoki, "It would be arguable to say my side is the stronger, especially against an enemy that's virtually unstoppable."</p>
      <p>"<em>Well, if it isn't the Demi-fiend himself!" said Dominion, having suddenly appeared before Naoki, Power appearing at his side. "We heard there was an unfamiliar demon here."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>They both looked at him approvingly. Naoki stared back, unsure what they were sent here for. It appeared as if they had come of their own volition to check out the appearance of a unknown demon. Yet, now that they knew it was Naoki, they weren't attacking. Had Chiaki ordered them not to harm him? Yosuga was an organization run by strength. Could they be in fear of him or had Chiaki told them not to attack?</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>To have made it this far greatly enforces what Lady Chiaki thinks of you." said Power, surprising Naoki, "You are much different from those mud puppets who can only talk about creation."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Chiaki spoke highly of him with her subordinates? He felt... happy. Even with the possibility of becoming enemies now..., Chiaki still regarded him as someone worthy of respect. He knew they weren't lying; Chiaki had always wanted his approval of her actions... because she had always respected and showed concern for him.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"Why would I? You're the strongest person that I know, it's one of the things I admire about you." stated Chiaki, it was the truth. "You always try your best and improve yourself. Siding with Kagutsuchi..., I would get my own world... but you're right. It's too short for me too. I was just talking out of anger before. It lasting longer than the previous world was the whole reason I began the journey..., I... I wanted to at least be in control of how long my paradise lasted by how much effort I put into shaping it and learning from it as I was sure I would end-up making mistakes."</p>
      <p>"I thought that..., if I tried to learn from any possible mistakes I made, like I had done in the Vortex world, then it could help my world to last longer and do better than the previous world. I'm sure everyone who fought thought that..."</p>
      <p>"But it was a lie." said Naoki, she was surprised to hear the depression in his tone, "I had hoped there wouldn't have been such stipulations. It's why I sided with Lucifer, its best if this cycle is eradicated completely."</p>
      <p>Chiaki nodded at that. She understood his feelings now and he did care about her... but... she still felt... so useless... she hated this feeling.</p>
      <p>"...Would you like to meet my companions? I'll understand if you don't want to since you don't have anything to wear." asked Naoki hesitantly, he thought he had enough time to help her form a decision on what to do with her life now, he owed her that much for getting her into this. He had already beaten Lucifer's test and in a few days they would march forward to defeat Kagutsuchi in the next world. "If you..., if you want, I could speak with Lucifer or one of my party members to see if there is any chance of making you a demon, assuming you want that."</p>
      <p>"I..." began Chiaki, thinking over it, "I'll... meet with your companions. I might as well, there's no point in staying in a world devoid of anything, and I'd probably become crazier than I did the first time I lost everything."</p>
      <p>Chiaki gave him a small smile this time. Naoki chuckled at the joke she made at the end of her reply.</p>
      <p>"I'll just have to get used to being naked in front of others. It's really nothing compared to all the other insufferable crap both of us had to deal with."</p>
      <p>Naoki smiled and nodded his affirmative as a reply. She had taken it just as he had soon after the Conception. It was still heart-breaking but they were here now and it was best to just learn from it and move on with whatever goals they set for themselves. She walked with him to where his closest companions were. Falling in step, they walked in the direction he had come from when he first arrived; there weren't any sharp objects to hurt Chiaki's bare feet, soft sand covered the dark world all around them. The sand itself felt lifeless itself, it wouldn't stick to the body or get in one's hair at all if one lay upon it. It was the only thing that hadn't changed when she woke-up...</p>
      <p>"You've already met the companion closest to the location you were sleeping before..." said Naoki, "I had someone assigned as a scout to bring me word from my other companions or Lucifer in case anything happened."</p>
      <p>Before his fight with Lucifer, he had instructed the party members he usually left in reserve and his best healers to move her to a safe location away from the fight and continue healing her. Once the fight was over with and he had passed Lucifer's test he had personally gone to the isolated location and picked up her body once they began the march. Some demons had looked quizzically at the King of Chaos holding a naked human in his arms as he marched the army to the designated area they needed to move to so that they could prepare for their pre-emptive strike in the following few days.</p>
      <p>He explained this along the way as they walked, Chiaki didn't know whether to flush in embarrassment over being seen as weak, being naked in front of so many others and not knowing, or being grateful over the fact Naoki clearly cared so much for her. Apart from the horrified look she gave as he explained this to her, she was relatively okay with what had happened. He had tried his best, for her, and it seemed he cared more for her than his own objectives. She refused to be annoyed with herself for dragging him down in such a way, her life being spared had been his doing. He wanted her here and she wasn't quite sure what she wanted but had no qualms with spending the rest of her lifespan with Naoki especially after being told the full truth regarding Kagutsuchi. Even when she had committed herself to the way of creation, Kagutsuchi had been nothing more than an obstacle even in its own design.</p>
      <p>They stopped. They had finally arrived where he had wanted. Surprise overtook her visage as she realized who it was Naoki had been speaking of.</p>
      <p>"Well... this is certainly a surprise," said Chiaki, after having registered who it was, "I never expected to see you again after I heard of your death."</p>
      <p>The figure had been sitting down comfortably, looking over at the expansive world of nothing with a bored look on his face. He had stood up and turned to their direction when he heard footsteps. He was well-versed in sensing people so he knew who it was before they got here and was well prepared to meet them.</p>
      <p>"I didn't expect this guy would ever want my services." replied Sakahagi, with a shrug, "I'm just surprised you don't hold a grudge against me."</p>
      <p>Chiaki shook her head.</p>
      <p>"Why would I?" she asked, she was actually pleasantly surprised in meeting him again despite the fact he was a Manikin, "When I went to get the Yahirono Himorogi from you, you taught me a valuable lesson in strength and weaknesses. I realized I needed help, even an army, if I wanted to take achieving my own Reason seriously. And you were right; I was just a weakling who could do very little because I was a human."</p>
      <p>"Seeing the strength of a demon, realizing Hikawa and Naoki's own use of demons to increase their chances of success, and hearing about how much you and Naoki achieved when you had demonic power convinced me that I needed to better myself and do things I may not like so I could achieve my goals."</p>
      <p>Sakahagi snorted.</p>
      <p>"Well, too bad for you and me, it got us nowhere." Chiaki could only nod at Sakahagi's brash statement. Sakahagi then realized something. "...why are you naked?"</p>
      <p>Chiaki tried not to blush as Naoki explained what had happened.</p>
      <p>"Oh.., well I wouldn't have known," explained Sakahagi, "I was only summoned to help out fighting that large four-legged penis."</p>
      <p>Chiaki looked at Naoki with a raised eyebrow. Naoki had put his palm on his forehead at that statement.</p>
      <p>"He mean's Noah, the God that Isamu summoned and named." said Naoki, answering Chiaki's unasked question. "Sakahagi has a variety of elemental moves and I increased his tolerance for pain but he had still been too banged-up to face Kagutsuchi once I came to save you."</p>
      <p>"...I think I can help with your predicament." said Sakahagi, surprising Chiaki, he held up large dress made out of Manikin skin that he had made to eventually add to his body, "I made it when Naoki had us training and going over what strategies to use on random demons we used the spell Riberama to induce into encountering. We happened to run into a few Manikins and Naoki usually let me skin them after we killed them."</p>
      <p>"Th-thanks." said Chiaki, taking the dress from him and putting it on, Naoki felt a sense of disappointment within him as she did so. "It's warm but comfortable."</p>
      <p>"A Manikins fabric is rather delicate to the touch." said Naoki, having killed Manikins before as well, "Magatsuchi will empower it like it does anything else so no problems should arise with how long it will last, especially since humans produce a lot of Magatsuchi."</p>
      <p>The Manikin skin dress had spaghetti straps and was very thin from the top of the dress to the bottom. The dress went as far as above Chiaki's knees. Naoki noted it filled out her curves nicely but found himself wishing he hadn't allowed Sakahagi to skin the Manikins they killed back then. He was happy that Chiaki had found something to wear but..., he would rather she have been completely naked until maybe when she got too old and was no longer attractive... oh well... Chiaki was happy with the dress, it was warm and comfortable. It also hid her personal parts while giving them an intoxicating appearance. Even if it hadn't had any of these qualities she would have worn it. She was just grateful to have something to wear.</p>
      <p>"<em>I lived my life causing nothing but pain and suffering for others..." spoke the young ghost, lost in his own thoughts. "I never felt bad about it, and I don't regret living that way, either. But... when I met that girl, the words just slipped out of my mouth... 'Everybody has kindness in their heart.'"</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>Naoki finally realized whom he was speaking to. While the ghost had the hairstyle of Futomimi, he still had Sakahagi's personality. This was Sakahagi... and he was confiding his true thoughts and feelings... then that meant the girl...</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>Why the hell did I say that? Maybe I was just curious what warmth and kindness felt like..." he paused here for a moment, looking lost and unsure, but then he seemed to have come to a decision. "If I could live my life again, I... I'd wanna be the kind of person who is liked by everyone. "</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>His face appeared bitter and unsure once more. Futomimi had never strived for such a thing. Futomimi never appeared to desire being cared for by others..., he had been looked up to and respected but that wasn't the same as the desire to be liked by others on a personal level.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>Damn it, what am I saying? Why am I getting all emotional...?" cried the Young Soul, "You're really one weird demon. I've never told anyone about these feelings before."</em></p>
      <p>
        <em>It was then that Naoki made the decision to resurrect Sakahagi if he ever obtained the ability to. Naoki vaguely recalled in amusement how Sakahagi had called him a weird demon when he had first met him in Asakusa.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"<em>Hey, by any chance... Would you be able to guide my soul from here?"</em></p>
      <p>The girl that Sakahagi had mentioned as a ghost had been Chiaki..., Naoki didn't know what happened as he wasn't there, but he knew they both held respect for one another. This was especially surprising due to Chiaki's display of hatred for Manikins, perhaps it had been due to the fact they hadn't tried to better themselves? They had been weak and helpless, something that reminded her of her human form before she had fused with Gozu-Tennoh. The majority of Manikins represented useless things that the world simply didn't need, which was something Chiaki had been passionately against.</p>
      <p>"Naoki," began Chiaki, flattening the lower part of the dress with her arms, Naoki turned his full attention to her. "How do I look?"</p>
      <p>Naoki stared at her incredulously. What kind of question was that?!</p>
      <p>"Does it matter?" asked Naoki, not seeing the point of the question, "It's the only piece of clothing you have available!"</p>
      <p>"I know that!" replied Chiaki, hotly; she didn't like the insinuation that she was stupid. "I just want to know what you think! Is that so wrong?"</p>
      <p>"No," said Naoki firmly, shaking his head. "You really, really don't want to know."</p>
      <p>Chiaki raised an eyebrow at his tone of finality.</p>
      <p>"Try me." Replied Chiaki, "I won't mind, no matter what it is, I promise."</p>
      <p>Sakahagi stared silently at this display. Even as a full demon, that guy was weird as ever. It seemed he had friends who were just as weird too. He supposed that made sense in a way...</p>
      <p>"...Okay, but you-" Naoki didn't finish the sentence due to Chiaki's annoyed glare and then decided to just spit it out. "I'd prefer if you had never put that on. I'd rather look at a beautiful naked woman especially if it was you."</p>
      <p>Chiaki stared at him for a moment in stunned silence. He stared at her blankly. Naoki didn't regret those words she was the one who insisted on knowing how he really felt. They both stood like that in awkward silence for a few moments... She promptly began laughing loudly. Sakahagi was also chuckling as well. Naoki couldn't help the small smirk that crept up his face. Chiaki held her stomach in pain as she continued to laugh. It had become contagious at this point Naoki couldn't help but laugh too. Sakahagi tried to stop himself from chuckling by putting a hand in front of his mouth. They were like this for who knew how long before Chiaki's laughter finally subsided. Chiaki got up from the floor; she had fallen on her knees due to laughing so hard. Naoki saw that she was smiling as she got up, her face had become as red, and tears had come out of her eyes because of the laughing fit that Naoki had induced upon her. Sakahagi was shaking his head in amusement and Naoki still had the smirk on his face. He was pleased that she could still find something funny with all that had just happened.</p>
      <p>"Naoki, you've got balls." said Sakahagi, he was thoroughly amused; "I knew there was other things I liked about you besides letting me kill stuff for the fun of it."</p>
      <p>"Balls?" snorted Chiaki, finally getting breathing air so she could speak again, "I'd say that's the most wonderful compliment I've ever received in my life."</p>
      <p>"Well, I am the best at everything." Naoki joked, shrugging his shoulders; Chiaki simply shook her head in amusement. "Well, anyway, Chiaki, I'm sure you would love to become a demon again-"</p>
      <p>"Absolutely!" interrupted Chiaki, she appeared hopeful now. She had even more reason than the last time. "Can you make it happen?"</p>
      <p>"I can't promise anything." said Naoki, making sure to emphasize what he said, "But I'll ask Lucifer and see if it's possible. I know you want to be one; I'll try to make sure no stipulations come with it if there is a possibility; if you want to help our cause then you're free to do so. If you don't want anything to do with us then you're free to do that too."</p>
      <p>Chiaki held a hand up this time to interrupt him so as not to be rude like before.</p>
      <p>"I do want to help you and it isn't just because there isn't anything for me here..." began Chiaki, "It's also because I <em>do</em> genuinely want to help you. I don't approve of this pointless death either and I don't like the idea of hard work being dictated at someone else's whims especially because I've lost so much due to such a cycle. I don't want to watch in the sidelines like some useless fan-girl."</p>
      <p>"I admit, I love the power I wielded when I had a demonic body and I still desire that. I don't feel bad about it and I don't think there is anything wrong with feeling that way but... it's also because I want to stay with you for as long as possible."</p>
      <p>Naoki smiled at that. Sakahagi tried to hold in his laughter again. Naoki got himself quite a hot looking bitch. He wondered when he'd see the litter.</p>
      <p>"Thanks, Chiaki." replied Naoki, it really did mean a lot to him. "I feel the same way."</p>
      <p>Chiaki stepped closer to him, leaned in to his face, and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer as they both deepened the kiss. Sakahagi stared. Well, he hadn't expected them to start THAT quickly... still, free show.</p>
      <p>They eventually separated, however. Both smiled at one another. There was no blushing; they were both happy that the other had accepted their feelings. Only an overwhelming sense of joy filled them both. There was neither confusion nor embarrassment.</p>
      <p>"Alright, I'll go speak with Lucifer" said Naoki, Chiaki nodded in reply, "You should go with Sakahagi to meet with my other companions. They won't attack you; I've ordered them not to. I also have a mercenary whom I made a contract with who won't allow anything bad to happen to you should any possible attack from Kagutsuchi or rogue demons appear."</p>
      <p>"Okay," said Chiaki, she thought over what she wanted to say in the brief amount of time she had. "I'll see you again shortly then, thanks for... well... everything, Naoki."</p>
      <p>"It was my pleasure." He chuckled back, "It may take longer than expected since he may want to discuss more battle plans so don't wait too long if I'm not there shortly."</p>
      <p>They both proceeded to depart their separate ways after bidding farewell. Chiaki followed Sakahagi as he led her to where the rest of Naoki's subordinates were and Naoki left to go speak with Lucifer.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>"<em>We</em> don't have anything that can turn her into a demon at this point." said Lucifer, having the situation regarding Chiaki explained by Naoki, "Normally humans can fuse with disembodied spirits of demons and have their bodies change into that of a demon's as a result but there is nothing that could make her as powerful as she was before. At best, if she were to fuse with some weak ghosts as Isamu had, she would be slightly stronger than the average Will O' Wisp."</p>
      <p>"You must also consider the fact that she is little more than a liability that Kagutsuchi could capture and use against you due to her vulnerable state. Your intervention with the use of the free will I bestowed upon you allowed you to influence her will and break it free from Kagutsuchi's grasp... but that may not last very long."</p>
      <p>Naoki sighed. Fucking fantastic! With Baal Avatar returned to its once dead state and Gozu-Tennoh's spirit completely gone from this world there was no hope for Chiaki to be of any use as she had desired. This would be very disappointing news.</p>
      <p>"Could we, perhaps, summon a god with enough Magatsuchi and have her fuse with that?" asked Naoki, "If Chiaki fused with it then we wouldn't be attacked by it."</p>
      <p>Lucifer shook his head. He couldn't allow that. He wasn't against Chiaki joining him but the fact remained that she was little more than a liability and there was no way for her to be of use.</p>
      <p>"You would still need a sacrifice and I do not sacrifice my men needlessly." said Lucifer, "And no, doing the ritual in another world where Kagutsuchi still exists would be accepting his Will and undermine what I've been striving for. We could no longer fight Kagutsuchi and would have our lives bound to the world in which we agreed to make a ritual."</p>
      <p>"Well, what about a parasitic demon to turn her into a Demi-fiend like I was?" asked Naoki, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of this sooner, "Would there be any problems with that?"</p>
      <p>"Unfortunately, yes, she would have to undergo the candelabra ritual to become a full-fledged demon," said Lucifer, "And she would be too weak to help out and in comatose for a few days. To be frank with you, too many specific conditions are needed; the parasites that turn a human into a demon could kill them if not done in the specific conditions. You must also be the right human build, you were, and she is not."</p>
      <p>"The parasite may be the worst possibility to consider, you should know how harmful it is. I knew you could survive the process and wanted your help because I needed it. The parasite fused with you completely and you were able to take full control of your powers but if we were to administer it to her under these warring conditions, she would most likely die due to how threatened the parasite would feel by instinct alone. The very abilities she would gain would kill her instantly."</p>
      <p>Well... that certainly explained why they had done the ritual on him in the hospital..., it seemed as if there was no way to resolve this predicament for Chiaki...</p>
      <p>"So... is there nothing that can be done?" asked Naoki with a mix of sadness and disappointment. He knew how much it would mean to Chiaki and he had wanted her with him.</p>
      <p>"There may be a way for her to regain some of her demonic power..." spoke the Lady in black, interrupting Naoki from his thoughts, "But it would require the ability that Chiaki herself developed. If someone learned her soul trapping ability they could place the soul within her. The problem would be finding a demonic soul her body would be familiar enough with so that no harm came to her."</p>
      <p>Naoki practically snorted in a mix of both amusement and annoyance.</p>
      <p>"You collected Gozu-Tennoh's soul from the Amala network." said Naoki, it wasn't a question. Lucifer and the Lady loved playing games with others. Regardless of if it had to do with something important or they were just bored. It was an enjoyable hobby of theirs. Naoki had realized this rather quickly due to the whole Candelabra escapade.</p>
      <p>The Lady in Black raised a delicate eyebrow; an amused smirk snaked its way on her face.</p>
      <p>"What makes you think it's not Baal Avatar? It is the stronger soul," She replied, "and they both wanted to make a world of Reason."</p>
      <p>"The difference being that Gozu-Tennoh felt he had no choice after losing everything and Baal Avatar actively worked to make one." replied Naoki, "So, may I have it?"</p>
      <p>The Lady in Black faked a pout as he skillfully avoided sounding demanding. It was a cliché way for them to continue their game, have someone "punished" into some annoying task because of rudeness. They did this 'hobby' of theirs because they usually gained something from it. A bit of free labor for some task they wanted done but could do themselves. It was all in good fun though, unless you actively tried to piss them off they didn't have any problems with you once you joined their cause. Lucifer sat stoically throughout the conversation between Naoki and the Lady. The fucking bastard knew how to hide his amusement really well. The guy had only ever slipped-up once when he genuinely smiled when Naoki had accepted his offer in the sixth Kalpa and became a full demon.</p>
      <p>The Lady in Black handed him a small replica model head of Gozu-Tennoh. It was about the size of a golf ball. Naoki sensed Gozu-Tennoh's powerful soul inside it the moment he touched it. He smiled gratefully at the Lady in Black and Lucifer. She raised a hand to stop him from leaving though.</p>
      <p>"There is one minor setback you need to be aware of." Naoki frowned once she had said that. "Gozu-Tennoh will not wish to be used in such a manner, 'blanking' his soul and storing within Chiaki will give her back the power she once had but Chiaki's ability requires the power to be 'summoned' from another demonic entity so that she may use it. Her demonic appearance and powers will only be present when activated by summoning."</p>
      <p>The Lady in Black paused for a moment to let Naoki digest this.</p>
      <p>"You will need to make her one of your summoning companions," The Lady continued. "Doing so will allow the demonic power within her to activate and transform her into the state she was in when she wielded Gozu-Tennoh's power. She will have the same skin tone on her body since her soul will not have been cursed by the technique. She will, however, be using your demonic energy and may even gain some of your abilities, possibly even the ones you unlearned."</p>
      <p>Chiaki's powers would only be active if he summoned her and she would be drawing energy from him as a source of power..., how would she react to such a stipulation?</p>
      <p>"Interesting..." said Naoki, folding his arms, the model of Gozu-Tennoh's head clutched in his right hand. "So, it's like Metatron... once I resurrected and summoned him with my demonic power within the Cathedral of Shadows, his powers were dependant on my abilities therein instead of YHVH... or however you say that arrogant prick's name."</p>
      <p>"Just one question..."</p>
      <p>The Lady and Lucifer beckoned him to continue.</p>
      <p>"How the hell did you get an exact replica model of his head?" asked Naoki, genuinely curious. He looked it over noticing very detailed marks all around. He was fascinated by how precise the small marks were.</p>
      <p>"Well, you didn't think I just slept for most of my time, did you?" said Lucifer, giving a more interesting perspective on how Lucifer spent his time. "I observe others most of my time, like you during your entire escapade in the vortex world, and sculpting and drawing happens to be some of my hobbies."</p>
      <p>Naoki just stared gaping in absolute shock. His eyes widened as his mind tried to comprehend what he was just told.</p>
      <p>"What?" said Lucifer, sounding indignant, "Who do you think built that room you saw us in whenever you came in contact with us through the peephole?"</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Chiaki bade farewell to the mercenary. She had met up with him just outside the camp site that Naoki's demons were assigned to stay in. The mercenary had been a very interesting person. She had found herself spending time, more time than she had realized, getting to know him and of his interesting experiences in life. He would be going back to the world he came from soon once he was satisfied that Naoki could handle things on his own and his help in Naoki's affairs were no longer needed in the equation. The mercenary had his own important problems that needed to be attended to in his own world.</p>
      <p>It had been the mercenary's unique appearance that had piqued her interest. Having now spent time getting to know him, Chiaki couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had this man decided to take more of an interest in their world. If he had pursued his own path of creation and it had conflicted with Naoki's, who would have won? She was certain that no god from the vortex world would have been able to take those two out regardless of the circumstances. She understood now that she never truly had a chance even though she had been stronger and faster to act upon arriving at the Tower than both Hikawa and Isamu. The raw talent and quick thinking of the Demi-fiend combined with a mighty abilities and hardened battle prowess of an otherworldly swordsman would have taken down anything this world had to offer.</p>
      <p>Sakahagi had gone to the camp to inform the other members of Naoki's party about Chiaki. The mercenary had made it clear to Sakahagi that he would make sure Chiaki was safe and bring her to the camp site where Naoki's demons rested. After speaking to the mercenary for a good while, he had personally escorted her to the camp site and left swiftly after. He told her he trained himself in private from time to time to keep in top form. She understood, having been a demon once and trained herself in both of the demonic bodies she had attained so she could adjust to the changes and increase her battle experience.</p>
      <p>Arriving at the camp area, Chiaki looked around and took immediate notice to the more legendary demons of the group. Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies and second in command under Lucifer, and Metatron, God's scribe, were very well-known figures of history after all. Learning of their existence and exploits under those they had once ruled over had been rather interesting. Gozu-Tennoh's memories had provided her with insight on those that he had considered the most noteworthy and worst enemies to make. These two in particular were considered the most exalted and powerful among all of demon kind. To think that Naoki had surpassed, killed, and then taken control over them...? It was scary, she had to admit, and she had been scared of what Naoki could do to her once the full realization of what had happened kicked in. But..., Naoki was still the same person. He was much more arrogant now but otherwise he still acted the same. Looking around, Chiaki stopped dead in her tracks once she caught sight of one demon in particular.</p>
      <p>"Thor?!" shouted Chiaki, in surprise. She realized she shouldn't have been. Thor was one of the stronger demons this world had to offer and Naoki had beaten him once before. Even now, she wondered, if Naoki's powers were limitless. Perhaps she was just exaggerating his abilities but... the evidence all around her sure didn't lie...</p>
      <p>Thor looked at her direction and he his body motion suggested obvious surprise before he came over to greet her.</p>
      <p>"Sakahagi told us of a human companion our Lord had picked up..." Spoke Thor, once he had made his way over to her, "Though I didn't expect it to be you, Lady Chiaki. It is... interesting to know you are still alive and with us."</p>
      <p>Chiaki folded her arms as a smirk played on her lips. Even in her vulnerable state, she still gave her perfectly confident demeanor.</p>
      <p>"You expected someone else?" asked Chiaki amused, she was happy to find someone else she had known to have survived... or resurrected from the looks of it. Who cared? Thor was here, able to converse with her. That's what mattered. "The self-indulgent idiot, perhaps? Or the boring and strict knows it all? Either way, they both had no lives and nothing to offer Naoki's lively group."</p>
      <p>They both chuckled. Although Thor didn't seem the type to do so, Chiaki had known better when having got to know him. The man respected the rules he believed in to the letter and was strict about Yosuga's way but that didn't mean he wasn't prone to socialize with those that had gained his respect. It was one of the many reasons Thor was selected to be her right hand, she had at one point offered to assimilate him within Baal Avatar's team but he had kindly declined the offer. Had Chiaki succeeded in making her world she would have had Thor become a teacher in the way of Yosuga. He had been more than qualified in his dedication to Yosuga, his reputation, his demanding presence, and most importantly his patience when concerning training the young ones who had wanted to join their ranks in the Vortex World.</p>
      <p>Chiaki had moved past that, however, and was simply happy to see him. Thor was likewise surprised but delighted to see her despite her obvious change in appearance.</p>
      <p>"I assume our Lord, King Naoki, is the reason you survived Kagutsuchi's collapse within this world?" asked Thor, curiously, once they had finished chuckling. At Chiaki's quizzical gaze, he clarified. "Our Lord did not inform you? Once he had joined Lucifer, this was when he apparently accepted to become a full-fledged demon, Lucifer bestowed upon him the rank of King of Chaos, a title only second to Lucifer himself, the God of Chaos."</p>
      <p>"I see..." replied Chiaki, Naoki had told her the gist of what was going on, that he worked under Lucifer as one of his generals, possibly the most reputable one. She didn't blame Naoki for not telling her of his exact position as that hadn't been important to her when trying to learn of what had happened. "I presume Naoki resurrected you after killing you? How do you feel about working for him?"</p>
      <p>Yes, she already knew that Thor respected and was beaten by Naoki twice. She knew the moment that she had met Naoki at the tower that Thor had been killed. That hadn't surprised her and both of them had positive opinions of Naoki long before meeting him at the Tower of Kagutsuchi, for their own personal reasons. She knew Thor respected him greatly as a fighter but just how did he feel about him on a more personal basis? She honestly wanted to know.</p>
      <p>"I never thought it was possible..." started Thor slowly, holding Chiaki's undivided attention. This was sure to be interesting to her. "I had respected him before... but having worked for the man and seeing what he could do? Feeling his power to a degree now that I am summoned under his demonic power? I think that man is nothing short of a miracle maker."</p>
      <p>Thor hadn't said <em>worker</em> he had said <em>maker</em> because Naoki<em> always </em>made miracles happen. If he worked at achieving something, it would happen. It was as simple as that. Chiaki grinned.</p>
      <p>"Miracle maker?" chuckled Chiaki, liking the term. She was finding it humorous that even in their highest opinions of the man, they had still managed to underestimate what he could accomplish. The results here showed just how true that was. "I guess I won't have to worry about him finding a way to give me demonic power then."</p>
      <p>Thor nodded. He truly believed that if anyone could do it, it was the King of Chaos.</p>
      <p>"I find it a bit ironic," began Thor, having thought over her appearance, "That, you, Lady Chiaki, the one who fought to make a world for the strong, would end-up becoming the weakest in the world that came after..."</p>
      <p>Chiaki openly laughed at that. It was sort of hard not to notice such a turn of events.</p>
      <p>"No, the irony isn't lost to me." chuckled Chiaki, shaking her head in bemusement, in truth, she was rather insulted by that comment but she took it in stride. "I don't really mind to be honest. I never did believe I'd rule the world I envisioned forever since its focal point was about every one of the inhabitants bettering themselves. I held no delusions about ruling as the strongest forever. I don't fear death either even if I would do anything to survive."</p>
      <p>Not fearing death and desiring to live was not the same thing and Chiaki had always been prepared to die since the sadness she had endured and the harsh world she had been placed in due to the Conception. Sure, inhabitants of the old world would have thought the way of Yosuga was stupid and crazy but hey, at least they would have bettered themselves and she would have made rules, such as tournaments to showcase bouts of strength to decide who was worthy of what and what crimes would go punished or unpunished. With power came privilege, the old world had proven that in all government structures.</p>
      <p>The demons at the camp all seemed to pause at this point. Chiaki looked around to and spotted Naoki arriving at the camp site. They all took their own respective bowing stances from where Naoki had just appeared from. Chiaki was impressed by the authority his mere presence brought among the demons. Naoki stood a bit away, looking around at the demons under his command.</p>
      <p>"So," began Naoki in a demanding voice, "How has the fresh air and the ability to stretch around once in awhile treated you all?"</p>
      <p>He was greeted with positive murmurs and responses. Naoki grinned in satisfaction before heading to Chiaki's direction.</p>
      <p>"Good news, I hope?" asked Chiaki, impressed with the degree of control he had over his subordinates, "You seem to be in a very cheery mood."</p>
      <p>Naoki just held out the miniature Gozu-Tennoh statue. Chiaki's eyes widened at the likeness it had to Gozu-Tennoh but otherwise gave him a quizzical look that asked for him to explain.</p>
      <p>"I'll explain everything in private, come on." He beckoned her to follow as he headed to his private camp area. Even he needed solitude at times for a myriad of reasons. To think of strategies, think over current events, or just to spend time alone. "I don't want anyone here getting the wrong idea... or possibly getting injured."</p>
      <p>Chiaki frowned at that comment as she followed him. On the way to his secluded camp, he explained everything that he learned from Lucifer, once they had arrived at camp Chiaki immediately agreed to teach Naoki the process of 'blanking' and did so with an explanation on how the technique worked. Naoki didn't mind the short lecture and patiently listened. He had placed the Gozu-Tennoh statue between where they sat, across from each other.</p>
      <p>"And here I thought you never took learning all that seriously." snorted Chiaki, once she had finished the lecture. "Did that change once you began to live in the Vortex world or were you simply hiding your talents from me?"</p>
      <p>Naoki snorted. They were both sitting down from either end of a futon next to a small campfire. Naoki sat by the head and Chiaki sat by the foot of the relatively medium-sized Japanese bed. Naoki had explained that some of the demons he had long since summoned and sacrificed were good craftsman and had replicated designing some human commodities when asked by him. It had taken some time but when training he had come across a few materials, mostly Manikin skin, to make it. Sakahagi had made the finishing touches on the futon once Naoki had gathered enough Manikin skin. Human-shaped clothes had never been made before Sakahagi since Manikin skin was hard to come by and demons had no interest in human clothing to begin with especially if it required killing Manikins, a source of free Magatsuchi.</p>
      <p>"I only tried to learn what interested me in school." responded Naoki, he looked at her with a superior smirk on his face. "Unlike a certain someone who got way too far ahead of herself in making sure she lived a successful life."</p>
      <p>Chiaki glared as his smirk never wavered. She then pouted.</p>
      <p>"Hey, it's not <em>my</em> fault that I took my parents and our teacher's words about needing to be focused on studies to heart." said Chiaki, looking at Naoki, daring him to tell her she was wrong. "Everyone always talked about how challenging those exams were. How we always needed to be prepared. You and that arrogant moron should have taken my advice and actually taken time to study then maybe I wouldn't have been so unrelenting over the issue."</p>
      <p>"Arrogant?!" laughed Naoki, finding what Chiaki had just stated humorous. "As I just said, I studied subjects I liked and I didn't appreciate being hounded on about studying material I didn't care for. It was also because of that superior 'I'm right about everything' attitude of yours that he didn't study when he should have. It's fine to tell him when we both knew he was being lazy but you never let up about it which is what made Isamu so against studying."</p>
      <p>Chiaki snorted at that comment. How was that her fault?</p>
      <p>"That idiot should have kept his priorities in line. He shouldn't have needed me to boss him around to getting his own homework done and you should have put better effort on yours even when you didn't care for the subject." stated Chiaki, with a tone of finality, she didn't like being told she was wrong about something, nobody liked that. "Hell, I bet that he would have just killed himself needlessly and dumped all the work into building his Reason on you because he was so self-pitying and lazy."</p>
      <p>"Isamu always did talk about himself a lot." agreed Naoki, Chiaki smiled thinking she had won the argument, Naoki just rolled his eyes. "But you both certainly complained if you either of you didn't get your way. You were both rather nasty about it too... the difference was he would just complain a lot and talk about how stupid we were. You would list all the reasons you were so right all the time and how we had to be wrong."</p>
      <p>Chiaki just glared at him. Naoki openly laugh since she couldn't think of a good retort. The memories of what once was... it was good to have someone to talk to about the past, especially if they had been there to share it with you.</p>
      <p>"Oh? And what about you?" asked Chiaki, annoyed at being called bossy even if it was true. "You were almost as bad as him."</p>
      <p>"Me?!" chuckled Naoki, he shook his head at her annoyed look. "No way, I was always the one in the middle! I was the one who had to make the decisions when either of you didn't get what you wanted or go where either of you wanted to go. And some of the arguments were just stupid, like the one about what had been more enjoyable: playing video games or watching movies. When I said that it depended on what video game or movie, you both ganged-up and insulted me!"</p>
      <p>"That's because you should have picked movies." replied Chiaki, smirking. Naoki just shook his head again and laughed. Chiaki followed soon afterwards. She couldn't help it when Naoki began laughing so hard he became red-faced with tears falling from his eyes. It was contagious!</p>
      <p>Once they had finished their bout of laughter Chiaki just shrugged off why Naoki had found her reply so funny.</p>
      <p>"So," Naoki began, giving her full attention to him. "When do you want to begin encasing Gozu-Tennoh as part of your soul?"</p>
      <p>"Immediately," said Chiaki, beginning to take off her Manikin dress. "The sooner we start the better. It'll give me more time to adjust to the new powers."</p>
      <p>"That's... great and all but... uh..." Naoki just stared as she fully removed her Manikin dress and began folding it. She placed it delicately on a corner of the futon before focusing her gaze back at him. "Why did you just take your dress off?"</p>
      <p>"So there isn't a possibility it gets damaged or interferes with the ritual." said Chiaki, matter-of-factly. She looked amused when she saw that he couldn't help but let his eyes roam her naked body. "If you want, we can do that after the ritual is done."</p>
      <p>Naoki's eyes widened at what she just said. Was she serious or was she just teasing him? She appeared smug when she saw his disbelieving reaction.</p>
      <p>"...You're okay with that? Seriously, okay with it?" asked Naoki, he wanted to make sure. He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by if he could help it. His physical and emotional attraction for Chiaki had only intensified during his meetings with her, he had been attracted to her even before the Conception, and he wasn't embarrassed to act on them especially if she was offering. At her nod of approval he couldn't help but ask... "Why?"</p>
      <p>"Why wouldn't I be?" asked Chiaki, her gaze practically radiated sincere happiness. "You took it upon yourself to survive and triumph over everyone in a harsh world. The fact you survived earned my respect... even my admiration, in a life or death situation it's only survival that counts not how you get there. I... wanted to be like you in that way. When you used your resources to triumph over everyone and achieve your goals, you had even greater respect from me."</p>
      <p>"Even more importantly, Naoki, you were always willing to help anyone who asked... and you never complained about it even if you didn't want to do it. You don't whine like Isamu and you make decisions when the time calls for it. You're strong Naoki, not just physically, but mentally too... that's why I always believed you would see things my way... and you even took the time to save me. I <em>want</em> to be with you, Naoki."</p>
      <p>Naoki just smirked at that explanation. Chiaki smiled back. A comfortable silence hung between them in their camp.</p>
      <p>"But I didn't," boasted Naoki, breaking the silence between them. Chiaki tilted her head slightly, asking non-verbally for clarification. She was also wondering why he sounded so boastful and what he meant. "I didn't see things your way. You saw things my way."</p>
      <p>Chiaki just snorted shaking her head in exasperation and amusement at his arrogance. Not that she was any different though...</p>
      <p>They both got up, Naoki picking up the statue as he rose, and walked near the fire to start the ritual. They stood in between the short distance of the campfire and the futon when they started. Naoki began 'blanking' Gozu-Tennoh's soul. Both of them could feel his hollow screeching due to being in close proximity of the demonic object. Naoki then pressed the statue gently between Chiaki's bosoms.</p>
      <p>"This..." began Naoki, grinning cheekily, "is so hot."</p>
      <p>Chiaki glared at him as she tried holding in her laughter so she could remain still. She succeeded, fortunately, and glared at Naoki in bemusement. Naoki replied with an arrogant smirk... as always. Chiaki rolled her eyes as a facial reply. The ritual itself wouldn't hurt but Naoki and her needed to remain focused for it to succeed, otherwise Gozu-Tennoh's soul would simply be trapped back into the statue and they would have to redo the channeling of demonic energy. The demonic power itself was attracted to the statue like a magnet due to the seal placed on the statue which had imprisoned Gozu-Tennoh's soul within it.</p>
      <p>After the dazzling displays of demonic power, Naoki often wondered why demonic power was always so flashy whenever any sort of transfer happened. He supposed it didn't matter but both of them were rather annoyed when they had to close and cover their eyes when a bright flash engulfed them both. Naoki waited for the light to dim down before he was able to look at Chiaki again. Chiaki immediately felt the effects.</p>
      <p>Chiaki smirked testing out the demonic body she once again had, although in a more nude form, not that it bothered her. What was important was the fact she had the power back. She felt elated and tested out her body for a bit and was delighted to discover that she was even <em>more</em> powerful than the first time she had fused with Gozu-Tennoh. She could sense the power within her, entangled with Naoki's own; she could even sense she would grow stronger than her Baal Avatar body with enough training. There would be plenty of that later, during the war against God, of course.</p>
      <p>She changed back, easily, another thing she was happy about. While power came over looks in her mind, she still did care for looking good like most women. She squealed happily and went over to Naoki. Naoki, feeling happy over his accomplishment and what it would mean to Chiaki, was surprised when he felt her shove him. It didn't hurt and he had only fallen out of surprise more so than the force of the shove. He felt embarrassed about that. Naoki was ready to ask for an explanation when she got on top of him, pressing her naked body on his bare chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck.</p>
      <p>"Now then..." Chiaki began seductively, much to Naoki's delight. "A proper form of thank you is in order."</p>
      <p>There were no unwritten laws to abide by or laws at all here. They had been outcasts first brought together by one caring teacher who had always seen the potential in her students. They had never cared to follow traditional rules in the old world and didn't care for any stigma that would have been brought to them for personal choices that were entirely up to them even back when the old world still existed. Both of them had acted in accordance for their own personal happiness and found nothing wrong with that. They had long since moved past caring for the traditions and laws of an old world that had been destroyed.</p>
      <p>So, when they chose to have sex, they didn't mind that they were still teens or that Chiaki might become pregnant. They both cared for each other and did love one another. They were only too happy with the possibility of having a child conceived with each other. They would make the necessary preparations for Chiaki if she ever became pregnant. Naoki, the current King of Chaos, would become the God of Chaos if Lucifer ever fell, not that he ever wished for such a thing since he considered Lucifer a mix of a mentor and a friend, he could easily be able to make accommodations for Chiaki if he asked for it. Chiaki didn't even mind becoming pregnant if it was with Naoki. Naoki was all she really cared for and it wasn't as if Naoki wouldn't be around with how well he fought. She felt she could gain more, emotionally and physically, by being patient for a year and having a child she could teach and train with Naoki.</p>
      <p>All that mattered to both of them now was <em>thriving together</em> in the war that would soon come.</p>
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